MA Geography Speaker Series presents…
‘We Need More of This’: Benefits of a University-Community Rural Land Use Planning Partnership
Dr. Christopher Fullerton, Department of Geography, Brock University
Date: Oct 31, 2014
Time: 10 am to 12 Noon
Location: MC C405
Abstract: Rural communities often do not have the financial or technical capacity to undertake major land use planning exercises. At the same time, university-based researchers have increasingly been called upon to engage with communities outside the academy in order both to demonstrate the practical relevance of their research activities and to provide their students with hands-on experience that might help them secure employment after graduating. Thus, there is an excellent opportunity for universities to partner with rural communities to address their respective needs. This presentation will document one such initiative, a seven-year project through which the author and a total of seventeen Brock University Geography students worked with the Township of South Algonquin to create its first ever land use plan. Among other benefits, this initiative provided a much-needed set of formal land use policies for the municipality, a rich body of rural development research data for the faculty member, and career-oriented community planning experience for the students.
